Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Men can't have it all, either

Let him learn it from You Tube.

We know how hard it is to be a woman, because we've been told every, oh, 40 seconds or so. Guess what. It ain't easy being a man.

Emily Bobrow reports that between 1977 and 2008, “the percentage of American fathers in dual-earner couples who suffered from work-family conflicts jumped from 35% to 60%.” During the same period, the percentage of similarly afflicted mothers “grew only slightly, from 41% to 47%.” The result: “Young men who get stuck supporting a family often report high levels of stress and sadness that they aren’t spending more time with their kids.”

Some problems men face that are left unmentioned in the article.

One is the unquestioned assumption that children in the modern era need constant attention. Kids and teenagers were once expected to entertain themselves for large parts of the day, whether it was riding bikes, reading, cooking their own meals, or playing board games. Now, with extracurricular activities that require organization, drop-offs and pick-ups, mom and dad can no longer rest and recuperate on evenings and weekends. Furthermore, in the digital age, parents’ work often follows them home, further eroding private time.

This leaves no room for adult fun.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and declare that we need more adult fun.